Bryony Lavery to Write New Version of SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS for Chester

Storyhouse in Chester have today announced the award-winning playwright Bryony Lavery will write the brand-new version of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons.

Performed at multi-award winning Storyhouse in Chester and at the acclaimed Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Swallows and Amazons is Ransome's 1930s stories of adventure and childhood.

Bryony Lavery's play Frozen won the TMA best play award, the Eileen Anderson central Television award, was produced at Birmingham Rep, then the National Theatre, then on Broadway where it was nominated for four Tony awards. Her play Stockholm, for Frantic Assembly, won the Wolff-Whiting award for Best Play of 2008. Beautiful Burnout for The National Theatre of Scotland and Frantic Assembly, received a Fringe First at Edinburgh, before productions in the UK, New York, Australia and New Zealand.

Recent work includes: Treasure Island at the National Theatre and 101 Dalmatians at Chichester Festival Theatre. Her adaptation of Graham Greene's 1938 novel of sin and redemption, Brighton Rock (Pilot Theatre) is touring UK theatres this year. She is adapting the first ever stage version of Alice Sebold's bestselling novel The Lovely Bones premiering autumn 2018.

Alex Clifton, artistic director Storyhouse, said 'We are delighted and privileged that Bryony is adapting Swallows and Amazons for our summer season in Chester. Storyhouse seeks to work with the theatre industry's most talented artists and present their work to our growing audiences. Bryony's Swallows and Amazons is full of the spirit and joy of the original, injected with Bryony's wit and creative heart: it will be wonderful to see it on both Storyhouse's stage and outdoors at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre'.

Swallows and Amazons opens at Storyhouse on 1 June until 30 June, before transferring to Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre between 14 July - 26 August. Katie Posner will direct the play. Her most recent production Made in India by Satinder Chohan won the Eastern Eye ACTA Award for Best Production. She is the associate director of Pilot Theatre.